Starship Flight 13: Booster Splashdown and Ship Orbit Insertion

SpaceX launched the 13th Starship flight test from Starbase in South Texas on July 24, 2026. The Super Heavy booster completed its boostback burn, a key objective that was missing on the previous flight, and then splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ascent and hot staging

All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster lit, and the vehicle passed max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure, about a minute into flight. Commentators said it would be higher on this flight than on any previous Starship flight. At hot staging, all but five booster engines shut down while the six ship engines ignited with the stages still attached. The booster performed a directional flip, lit in a slightly staggered engine sequence.

Boostback and splashdown

The booster ignited 13 engines for the boostback burn, which shut down as planned. This time the booster was not planned to return to the tower but to splash down a couple of miles off the coast of Starbase. For the landing burn, the plan was to use 13 center engines, then transition to five and finally three. The booster used grid fins to guide itself through the atmosphere, and the landing burn started at about 5 km above the sea.

Not all 13 engines appeared to light for the landing burn. The team targeted a softer splashdown, but landing velocity looked a little high. A sonic boom was heard at Starbase. The booster landed in a clear zone that had been cleared well ahead of launch.

The ship

The ship's six Raptor engines burned about 8 minutes and then shut down successfully. Mission control called nominal orbit insertion, and attention turned to the ship's in-space objectives.